"Hey! *Heh*—found you! Hiding again, aren't you?"
"Hm? ...Oh, well, I wasn't exactly *hiding*..."
As I poked my head out from behind a mountain of paperwork, her eyes immediately locked onto mine.
"Are you free right now?"
"I assume telling you 'no, I'm not free' isn't an option?"
"Nope! Not allowed! Because, come on—you have absolutely no intention of taking a break on your own, do you?"
"Well... being Yang-ko's trainer... the sheer volume of work isn't exactly something one person can handle alone, you know..."
"Oh, please! I *offered* to help you, but you kept stubbornly insisting, 'I can't possibly let a student do this work!'"
"I wasn't being stubborn; it's my job. Besides... hmm... well, I suppose today *is* Sunday, isn't it?"
I had sacrificed my entire weekend to bury myself in work.
All things considered... the fact that she actually makes a point of checking in on me on a Sunday—a designated day off—is exactly the kind of thing you'd expect from Yang-ko...
I stretched my arms overhead and let out a yawn.
"Going out, huh...? *Yaaawn*... Man, I'm sleepy..."
A sudden wave of drowsiness washed over me, and I rubbed my eyes groggily.
"Let's go on a date!"
"A date, huh...? I'm not exactly 'free' right now, so I'd really just prefer to be allowed to sleep..."
I had tried to hide it—telling myself it was "for the sake of my charge" or making up other excuses—but the truth was, I hadn't stepped foot outside in ages; I'd been cooped up indoors all weekend long.
"Are you sure about this, Yang-ko? If any of the other girls are free, maybe you should just go out with one of them instead."
"Hey now! That's not a very nice thing to say, is it? Making a maiden spell out *everything* she wants is a total breach of etiquette, you know!"
"............Just give me a second... You want to go right *now*?"
I put on my going-out clothes and started getting ready.
"Yep! Of course!"
"Just promise you won't get mad if I end up falling asleep halfway through?"
"Totally! ...Because I know just how hard you've been working."
(You really are so kind, aren't you?)
Left to my own devices, I’d be too exhausted to even *think* about stepping outside.
And that, precisely, is why she’s here to drag me out... "You’re always the one coming up with the plans, aren't you? How about you let me handle things today?"
"Sure, I’m looking forward to it. Thanks... Yanko."
"It’s a little too early for thank-yous, isn't it? Come on, let's go!"
───⏰───
"Ta-da!"
The place she took me to turned out to be—of all things—an aquarium she had rented out just for us.
"...How long have you been planning this?"
"Hmm... maybe about a month?"
My drowsiness vanished instantly, replaced by a cold sweat.
That’s right. I had underestimated Young.
I should have remembered that she’s the kind of girl who pulls off stunts like this with total nonchalance...
"You should have told me beforehand! What were you planning to do if I had turned you down?"
"I didn't even consider the possibility of you turning me down! I trust you not to do that."
"............ *Sigh*. Alright, you win. I surrender."
She laughed and replied, "Yeah, yeah," before leading the way deeper inside.
"Hey, look—isn't it beautiful? Usually, with all the crowds, you can't really take your time admiring the ocean from down here. But with just the two of us, we can stare at it to our heart's content, right?"
"............. Yeah, you're right."
"This is actually a first for me, too! Doesn't it just make you feel glad to have experienced something like this?"
A vast blue ocean, illuminated by lights and filled with the silhouettes of countless fish.
"I wonder how many years it’s been for me... visiting an aquarium, I mean..."
"Not since the last time you went with me?"
"Something like that, I guess."
"I see. Well, then I’d say this second visit of yours is a huge success, wouldn't you?"
"I’d say *your* surprise is the real success here. My sleepiness has definitely vanished completely."
At that, she lowered her sunglasses, looking absolutely delighted. "Thanks... You really have been working yourself to the bone lately, haven't you?"
"Well, yeah... but springing this on me out of the blue like this? You could have given me a little warning!"
"Of course! It’s a one-day dinner getaway plan, so make sure you enjoy every last bit of it, okay?"
"Hey, Yanko? Are you even listening to me?"
"Come on, let's get moving! We've still got more stops to make, so hurry it up!"
"Wait just a... Oh, for crying out loud!"
────⏰────
"You like donuts, right? So, for our next stop—a complete change of pace—we're hitting up an all-you-can-eat, all-you-can-take-home donut shop!"
"This, too?"
"Yep!"
"............Yanko... honestly."
While I stood there giving a wry smile, she was busy piling her tray high with—you guessed it—a mountain of donuts.
"What's the harm? It's fine to indulge every once in a while, right?"
"Once in a while is fine, but..."
As she circled the display cases—browsing the rows of colorful donuts again and again—I started picking out a few for myself.
(Let's see... the ones I usually have with my tea...)
Just as I reached for an Old Fashioned with my tongs, another pair of tongs landed on the very same donut.
"Oh!"
"Heh. So you *do* like those after all?"
"You did that on purpose, didn't you?"
"Who knows~?"
With a quick, smooth move, she snatched it up. A moment later, I reached out and... took an Old Fashioned for myself, too.
"Is that all you're taking? Aren't you going to grab a few more?"
"That's *your* favorite, isn't it? You can have it."
"Yeah, right... I think that's actually *your* favorite."
".....................Thanks, Yanko."
It was a whirlwind of energy, fueled by a deep, unwavering affection.
And more than anything else, there was the sensation of having my every move read like an open book—of being swept along from one moment to the next.
With her by my side, I knew this day would fly by in an instant.
Unlike those days buried beneath mountains of paperwork... it was over in the blink of an eye. ".........Hey. It’s fine if we wait until after everything else is done."
"Hm?"
"If we have any time left over at the end... could we stop by a place I’d like to visit?"
"Sure! ...As long as it’s not work-related, okay?"
"Of course. I know."
─────⏰──────
And just like that, dinner came to an end.
In the blink of an eye, my dinner with Young was over.
"How was it? How was today?"
"I thought it felt very... *you*."
"Then I guess it was a huge success..."
".........Yeah. I suppose so."
That is precisely why I wanted you to remember.
But... I don't know if that’s what you need right now.
After all, unlike me, you chose the *right* path—the correct one.
"Is your curfew okay?"
"Totally. I already submitted my leave-of-absence form."
"Always so prepared. Well, I’ve got work tomorrow anyway... and besides... thanks to you, I actually get to go to that place I wanted to visit."
We drove there, taking our time as we made our way to our destination.
It was a spring festival held at a small mountain on the outskirts of the city.
The cherry blossoms were in full bloom, and crowds of people had gathered to enjoy the festivities.
".........Whoa. This brings back memories. Is *this* the place you wanted to visit?"
Young, too, looked surprised as she stepped out of the car—
"Well... unlike you, Young, I’m not really good at preparing gifts or anything like that..."
A small, nostalgic memory.
"Hey! Hey! Let’s get *that*! And *that*! And *that*, too!"
"You really want to get your hands on *everything*, don't you, Yanco?"
"Is that a bad thing?"
"Hmm... I suppose for a Uma Musume, that kind of drive might be a necessary trait to have..."
We made our way deeper into the grounds, searching for a small stall selling candied apples.
"...Just one is enough. I think it’s important to cherish just a single thing—to truly value that one special thing. ...That’s why I like these candied apples so much. Here."
".........? ...Thank you!"
"Thank goodness. They still had some left."
There it stood, that little stall tucked away in the back.
And the old man selling the candied apples—he hadn't changed a bit. "────── I see."
"Hm?"
"No, it's just... I realized—a little too late, I guess—that I’d completely overlooked something truly important."
"──── I see. In that case... want a bite?"
"……… *Heh*... Don't just ask if I want a bite... *You* have to be the one to buy it for me. Because *that* is the 'most important thing' of all."
"……… I see."
I hand it over gently; amidst the scattered reflections of the night, the eyes hidden behind those sunglasses remain invisible.
I wonder what you’re thinking right now.
Looking back on today, you showed me the "right answer"—the way to have it all.
But for me... just having *Young* is enough.
No matter how things turn out, as long as I have *you*... ──── that’s all I need.
"Let's eat this on the bench over there. Look, that spot just opened up."
"Great idea! We can see the cherry blossoms from there, too. Let's have a little flower-viewing party—it’s been ages!"
And that... is enough. ──────
───⏰───
The sound of soft breathing... You sat down, exhausted, and fell asleep almost immediately.
"Oh, man... I'm so sorry for pushing you so hard."
As you slumped gently to the side, I reached out and softly stroked your head.
Your hair felt a little coarse to the touch. Your cheek looked so peaceful in sleep.
Where did this feeling come from—this deep desire to cherish the things that are truly irreplaceable?
"……Thank you... for always... cherishing me so much."
I think... I think it came from *you*.
That’s exactly why... I wanted to use *my* own way of loving to make you the happiest person in the world.
But in the end...
"I guess you win. You really got the better of me there."
Right at the very end... that was so unfair of you. You made me realize the truth, plain and simple.
"…………*Mmm*... Yang-ko?"
"Go ahead and sleep a little longer... And thank you."
The most important, irreplaceable person in my life.
I took a gentle bite of my candied apple, then slowly turned my gaze toward the cherry blossoms.
"I love you. Let's stay together... for a long, long time."
===
Original text at https://www.pixiv.net/novel/show.php?id=27696784
Illustration by Hakazero
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